Honeymooners Episode Reviews: “The Deciding Vote” & “Something Fishy”:

[Frank Gannucci]

Honeymooners Episode Reviews: “The Deciding Vote” & “Something Fishy”:

Episode #120 (Syndicated Episode #11)
TV: Half-hour.
VCR: Attached to "Unconventional Behavior." On some tapes, it’s attached to “Hello Mom” & “Something Fishy.” On some tapes, it’s attached to “The Loudspeaker”, “Unconventional Behavior”, “Something Fishy” & “The Man From Space.”
Laserdisc: Attached to “TV or Not TV”, “Funny Money”, “The Golfer”, “Better Living Through TV”, “Brother Ralph”, “Pal O’ Mine”, “A Woman’s Work Is Never Done”, “Something Fishy”, “The Worry Wart”, “The Sleepwalker”, “Hello Mom”, “’Twas The Night Before Xmas” & “Man From Space.”
DVD: Attached to episodes #9-16 of the classic 39. The HD Blu-Ray set has the exact same episodes (including two versions of "Hello Mom." in which one has the original ads) and includes Best Buick Yet presentation.
Air Date: Sat. 12/10/55

To see the script for this episode, click here:http://www.springfieldspringfield.co...episode=s04e11

Alice is doing some ironing. It's around anniversary time for the Kramdens. Ed comes down and wishes them a "Happy Anniversary." He tastes what he thinks is icing and wishes that Trixie would make icing that tastes as good as this. Alice: "Icing? Ed, that's starch." Ed: "I still wish that Trixie would make icing that tastes as good as this." Ralph comes home with a present that he claims that he thinks Alice wants: an old second-hand vacuum cleaner. Wow! That is so not what Alice needs. After Ralph goes over all the attachments, Alice says for the most part, they don't need it. To prove that it works, Ralph instructs Ed to put some dry oatmeal on the floor and the vacuum will pick it up. Not only does it not pick it up, Ralph has to hit it to work. Alice: "This (the vacuum) is nothing but a piece of junk." Ralph looks into the vacuum tube and sees there's a piece of gum in there. He tries to blow it out with his mouth. Ed: "You’re doing it the hard way." Ed turns on the vacuum cleaner and not only does Ralph's lips get stuck, he now has a PRICELESS look on his face and the audience laughs. He motions Ed to turn off the vacuum. Ed: "Accidents will happen." Ralph: "And you're the biggest accident that will ever happen." He throws Ed out.

Later that night, Alice is weeping up dirt. Alice (sarcastically): "There's no getting around it Ralph. Having a vacuum cleaner sure lightens my housework." Ralph's friend from the Raccoon Lodge, Joe Munsey comes by and says that Ralph is a lock to beat Frank McGuillicuddy in the Convention Manager nomination. With being the Convention Manager, the manager can go to Chicago (the place where the convention takes place that year) for free, and getting a car to drive around in while there. Joe rounds off all the people that will vote for Ralph and says that Ed has the deciding vote (hence the title of this episode). Ralph is nervous because him and Ed just had a fight but is confident that he and Ed can patch things up quickly. He calls Ed down, but Ed doesn't respond. He went bowling with Frank McGuillicuddy. Joe looks at the vacuum cleaner and Ralph says that Jim can use it for Joe's wife.

At the Raccoon Bensonhurst headquarters, Ed is socializing with Frank. Ralph comes by and he and Ed are still not speaking to each other. Ralph: How about the time where we were playing softball and you got hit in the head with a baseball bat? Who got you a cab and took you over to the hospital? I did. Who came up and saw you everyday? I did. Who got you cigarettes and candy? I did." Ed: "Who hit me in the head with the bat? You did." Oh boy! Ralph says that Ed always brings up the bad points and never the good points. The meeting starts and Ed gives out the pieces of paper for the people to write the name of the person that they are voting for. The end result is 4 for Frank and 3 for Kramden. The meeting is adjourned. Frank (to Ed): "You sure are a pal Norton." Ralph is upset. He thinks that Ed did him in.

The next day, Trixie comes down to talk to Alice. She leaves a reference for Ralph to fill out so they can get new furniture. She leaves. Ralph is still upset. So upset that when Trixie comes down to talk to Alice, he throws her out. He is remorseful for kicking her out and he says that will forgive Norton but when he sees the reference, his anger towards Norton resumes. He turns on the water and makes sure it keeps running by taking the faucet handle of the kitchen faucet to make sure Ed doesn't get any water for his bath. (The water runs bad in the building.) He fills out the reference: "'How long have you known the applicant?' Too long. 'Do you consider the applicant trustworthy?' Don't make me laugh. 'In you opinion, is the applicant a good character?' The applicant is a BUM!" He goes out to mail the reference just as Ed comes down to confront Ralph. Ralph leaves. Ed fixes the kitchen faucet. Alice is upset that Ed didn't vote for Ralph. Ed says that he did and he doesn't even know how to spell Frank's last name. Alice: "Why didn't you tell Ralph?" Ed says that he didn't because he has pride and if Ralph thinks he did that, let him and if he wants to call him names, let him. Ralph comes by and gets the real story. Ralph: "If you didn't vote against me, who did?" Ed: "Joe Rumsey." Rumsey? Turns out that Art either mispronounced Munsey or forgot that that was Joe's last name. Jackie even starts to say that that's Joe's last name. Ralph: "Why would Joe vote against me?" Ed: "Remember the vacuum you loaned to him? Jim tested it. He didn't do well with the oatmeal test either. Ralph apologizes and now is worried since he mailed the application and on it, he practically says Ed is a crook and that he won't get the furniture now. Ed isn't steamed. Why? The Kramdens were supposed to get the furniture as an anniversary gift, not the Nortons. D'oh! Not something the Kramdens wanted to hear.

Episode #121 (Syndicated Episode #12)
TV: Half-hour.
VCR: Attached to "Oh My Aching Back." On some tapes, it is attached to the “I Love Lucy” episode entitled: “Deep-Sea Fishing.” On some tapes, it is attached to “Hello Mom” & “Deciding Vote.” On some tapes, it is attached to “The Loudspeaker”, “Unconventional Behavior”, “Deciding Vote” & “Man From Space.”
Laserdisc: Attached to “TV or Not TV”, “Funny Money”, “The Golfer”, “Better Living Through TV”, “Brother Ralph”, “Pal O’ Mine”, “A Woman’s Work Is Never Done”, “The Deciding Vote”, “The Worry Wart”, “The Sleepwalker”, “Hello Mom”, “’Twas The Night Before Xmas” & “Man From Space.”
DVD: Attached to episodes #9-16 of the classic 39. The HD Blu-Ray set has the exact same episodes (including two versions of "Hello Mom." in which one has the original ads) and includes Best Buick Yet presentation.
Air Date: Sat. 12/17/55

To see the script for this episode, click here: http://www.springfieldspringfield.co...episode=s04e12

At the Raccoon Lodge, Ralph and Ed are playing ping-pong. In usual Ralph and Ed fashion, they fight over playing ping-pong but quickly do the Raccoon handshake (they take the tails of their Raccoon caps and brush their respective cap's tail against each other. The meeting starts and they are talking about the annual Raccoon fishing trip. Ralph wants to go without the wives. He says a ridiculous speech about what will happen if they do bring their wives. All of the gang agrees to leave without their wives. The meeting ends. Ralph goes home.

At home, Ralph is rehearsing his speech on what he will say to Alice about leaving her home. When she does come, she sports fishing attire that she plans to wear on the fishing trip. Ralph: "You're not going." Alice: "I am going." Ralph: "The only place that you will be going is to the moon." Alice: "Trixie is going." Ralph: "For your information, she isn't." A big loud noise is heard and it's Trixie and Ed arguing over her going on the fishing trip. Alice goes into the bedroom. Ed comes down and he and Ralph talk about them not bringing their wives. After Norton puts a bag in Ralph's ice box, a little bit later he is going to leave. Ralph tries to tell him to get the bag, but I guess Art Carney forgot about them. He and Alice continue their argument. She goes into the bedroom. Ed comes down again and he and Ralph talk up a scheme. They will wake up at 6am and leave before their wives are ready. Ed leaves again, Ralph reminds him to take the bag. Ed says that it is worms. Ralph is angry. Ralph (yells): "GET OUT!" Turns out, Art was supposed to get the bag earlier. But Art forgot to take it out.

At 6am the next morning, Ralph and Ed are ready but they are VERY tired. Looks pretty bright outside for it to be 6a. Also, since this episode was shown in Decrmber, shouldn't everyone be colder? I guess we are supposed to believe that this episode was set in the summer or spring. Ralph & Ed are so tired that Ralph accidentally honks the horn of the car he got from a friend of his. Ed: "The girls are going to be pretty mad when they find out that we left without them." The girls emerge from the backseat and when Ralph can't start the car, Alice offers a suggestion. Ralph freaks out when he sees Alice. Ed: "Ralph, I don't have the courage to look back there. Is Mrs. Norton back there?" Trixie: "I'm right behind you." Ralph: "What a sneaky trick." Alice responds by saying that the boys are just as sneaky. Ralph pops up the hood to see what can be done to get the car working. Alice takes a hairpin and puts it in the engine part and the car works perfectly. Ralph still says that they can't go. So Alice takes the hairpin out. Ralph: "You think that that is going to stop me?" Ed: "Don't look at me Ralph. I don't have any hairpins." Ralph says that he would love to bring Alice but since he led the movement to let the wives stay at home, he is afraid that he will look like a fool. After more arguing, Alice puts her hairpin back in the engine and Ralph and Ed finally get what they want. Alice: "You and Ed can go alone." The girls go back inside. The boys get what they want but they are remorseful about leaving the girls at home. They change their minds and yell to them that they can come.

Credit I think goes to (the original) Bill's 'Mooners Archives, eBay.com, tv.com, Honeymooners Lost Episodes Book, tvguide.com, honeymooners.net, Honeymooners Lost Episodes DVD booklet, Wikipedia.org, Yahoo Groups You're A Riot! & Amazon.com.